Game of Thrones: 18 Reasons Why We Love Nice Jaime Lannister

This post includes frank discussion of a scene from Season 4, Episode 3: “Breaker of Chains.” Please do not read on if you’re not caught up. Are they gone? Good. Disturbing scenarios are nothing new on Game of Thrones. At this point we probably feel like we’re all out of shocked reactions to give. But even after the gruesome death of last week, tonight’s episode had something terrible in store. Tonight we saw the death of Nice Jaime Lannister, the character we grew to love over the course of the last season. Now listen, it’s one thing to have sex with your sister. In George R.R. Martin’s world, that’s a transgression, but not an unforgivable one. But to have non-consensual sex with your sister up against your dead son’s bier? It’s not going to be easy to come back from that one.

It’s so disappointing to see Jaime tumble so far and so quickly. His redemption last season was very hard won and to see him fall prey to the corrosive influence of his father and sister and revert to type is crushing. This isn’t even something we can fully blame of HBO, though it should be noted that the scene is much more consensual in the book and, despite appearances, the episode’s director wanted us to think it was consensual in the show as well. He may come back from this act and he may not; the world of Game of Thrones is dark and full of murky characters. But at the very least he’s tainted now and unworthy of Brienne’s love (be it romantic or otherwise). To be clear, this gallery of Jaime’s better moments is not an attempt to whitewash or excuse such a violent, transgressive act. Far from it. Consider it a tribute to Nice Jaime Lannister. We hardly knew him.